This job is easier than it sounds. I want everyone to know that. I was worried forever about doing this, but I got it done today in 2 hrs while my son was taking a nap. Only had one issue where I didn't have one specific size socket, and had to run over to a neighbor's house.
There are two methods to do this. Some say it's possible to swap the mounts without dropping the brackets from the bottom, and by just lifting the engine up high enough to pull the mounts out. I attempted this method, just to know if it is possible. For me it was not. Even with the engine lifted as high as it would go, I could still not get the mounts out. Just save yourself some time, and do it by dropping the motor mount brackets from the bottom. This way you won't have to jack up the engine much at all.
You need a stubby ratcheting 13 MM wrench
18 MM socket
19 MM socket
13 MM socket (not necessary, but would be quicker than using the wrench for every nut)
T5 Allan head socket
I do not have an airbox, but I'm assuming it would need to be removed to be able to do anything from the top on the passenger side. But it can all be done from the bottom on this side if necessary.
Start with the passenger side, as it's the trickiest. I removed the top nut of both mounts first. Driver's side is cake, passenger side is where it's tricky. And this is not as hard as people make it sound either. It's really easy to get the ratcheting stubby over the nut. Only trouble is you can't see it. Reach down from the top of the turbo, and fold the heat shield up to get better access. I did this from the top, but it's even a little easier from the bottom, since you can get a hand on each side at the same time. Either way works. Here is why you need the stubby:
You can literally only get two fingers on the wrench from any angle. Luckily, the top nuts didn't require much force, and I was able to break it loose rather easily. Hopefully this is the case for everyone.
Then get the car up on jack stands, if you haven't already.
First I removed the snub mount bracket, as this will allow the engine to move freely when you jack it up. Three T5 Allan head bolts. You can just leave it hanging there, or remove it.
Now on the bottom, each engine mount is connected to a bracket. Then each sway bar bracket is attached to this bracket. Now you will need to remove 4 13 MM nuts, 2 each side, for the front sway bar brackets. with these removed, you can swing the sway bar down a few inches out of the way.
Make sure and mark the brackets underneath with a marker, so that you remember which hole had the nipple on the motor mount poking through. Do this for each side.
Then, each bracket is held in with two 19 MM bolts, and one 18 MM bolt. The 19 MM bolts were cake, but the 18 MM on each side required a breaker bar to break loose. Drop the bracket down. I never tried to remove the bracket completely, but I'm sure it could be done. If you remove the bracket completely, you would not need to raise the engine at all. I seem to recall it not looking very easy to get the brackets out, and didn't want to forget the orientation, so I just left them hanging there. Now you should be able to pull each mount out. If you don't have enough room, then you can use a floor jack, and with a piece of wood, jack up the engine at the oil pan. You can jack it up pretty high, but you won't need to jack it up much for clearance when removing the brackets underneath.
Install the new mounts, remembering to align the nipple with the correct hole in the bracket. I tightenend the brackets up completely, and left the mounts loose. t Put the snub mount bracket back on, but don't tighten it yet either. Remember to put the sway bar back together. I dropped the car down, and went for a drive around the block. Came back, lifted the front again, and tightened the mounts and snub mount completely. Done.
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Originally Posted by 08B7Q
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